Quincy versus Lowell (Boston, Worcester, Springfield: low income, 2013, apartments)

[gamma19]

I've been living in Quincy for a little over a year now, and have been looking at apartments mostly in this area. However, a co-worker has a room for rent in his apartment in Lowell and inquired if I was interested in taking it. It is located near the commuter rail train station.

I've driven through Lowell a few times, but I've never spent any significant amount of time in that city. From what I've gathered from threads here, Lowell is ethnically diverse and working class; similar to Quincy. The population size seems similar too. What are some other similarities (as well as differences) between the two cities?

[pennyone]

Gamma:

I grew up in Milton and now live in Quincy. I don't know anything from first hand experience about Lowell. But I did find the Congressional Quarterly index of national crimes in cities with population greater than 75,000. There are more than 400 cities in the US on that list, and I am posting for you here again (see below)..So you can compare Lowell with Quincy, at least in that respect. I think both Lowell and Quincy have very nice neighborhoods, but also not so nice ones. I know that, in general, the southern section of Quincy abutting Weymouth is bad. I generally do all of my business in Wollaston, Monclair, North Quincy and the center (all in the north, north-east and central sections of Quincy)...with a few friends who live in Squantum (way out in the eastern peninsula). I would never venture to Germantown (way on the south-east fringe and a world of its own), or Quincy Point (way in the south). I hear these areas are less safe...the first because of affordable housing and the second because of general poverty.

According to the CQ Press city crime ranking for all 432 cities with 75,000 people and greater 2012-2013..(from safest to unsafe...out of 432 cities)

Newton #5
Somerville #130
Quincy #154
Cambridge #180
--------------------
Lowell #260
Worcester #319
Boston #333
Fall River #360
N Bedford #365
Brockton #381
Springfield #394
Lawrence #398

the worst is Camden NJ at #432

These are measurement of four major types of crimes combined....and gives a good scope of how the big cities of MA fare relative to the rest of the country. It seems that for cities greater than 75,000 people, Massachusetts only has four cities that are still relatively safe (at #200 or higher out of a total of 432 cities).

[495neighbor]

I think Lowell has a bit more in the way of arts, education and culture than Quincy. Lowell has art galleries, the folk festival, UMass Lowell, Textile museum, outdoor cafés and restaurants (everything from high French cuisine to Cambodian to vegan), poetry slams and the Tsongas arena with concerts.

Quincy and Lowell both have much ethnic diversity. My sense is that Lowell is more of a melting pot while Quincy is still somewhat of a patchwork quilt, with the ethnic groups, co-existing much better in Lowell than in Quincy. Major ethnic groups in Lowell include Cambodian, Brazilian, Vietnamese, Chinese, French Canadian and Greek.

Lowell is more laid back, slower paced. Quincy is more hurried with a harder edge.

Both have urban low income areas including rehab facilities and the related populations. A sweet vagrant man on the cobblestone streets of Lowell got up from his bench to follow me down the road to tell me I did not need to feed the parking meter past a certain hour of the day.

Quincy has the obvious advantages of having the red line for commuting, closer distance to Boston and the south shore beaches.

Hikers and skiers have better access to the NH recreation areas from Lowell.

I would speculate that the single people of Quincy are more 20ish and those of Lowell more 30ish through 60ish. I know creative class people in both cities of all ages.

Does that answer your question?

[pennyone]

I think it is also cheaper to live in Lowell. The property value in Quincy is higher than in Lowell. So your rent will be cheaper in Lowell.

[lrfox]

While both cities are ethnically diverse, you have very different demographics in both so there are differences in the culture and other things that come along with that diversity.

Personally, I'd give a slight edge to Quincy. I like Lowell. A lot. I like that it has an attractive and cohesive downtown area and a lot of history. Quincy's downtown area needs a lot of work. Not that this is really relevant since you already have a potential place to live in Lowell, but I think Lowell has some nicer looking residential areas than Quincy in terms of architecture. Quincy has nicer looking residential areas in that it's a coastal city and many locations have outstanding views of Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay and the Boston Skyline. Both very different places with different pros and cons. I like Lowell's more independent vibe whereas Quincy can feel like just an urban extension of Boston.

For me, the connectivity to Boston would be the tipping point. Commuter Rail from Lowell is nice. However, the frequency and price of the Red Line would definitely be an advantage for Quincy. Unless you work right near North Station, you'll likely have to transfer from the Commuter Rail to a local rapid transit line (another expense) to get where you want to be. If the Red Line doesn't stop right near your job, it'll put you close and transfers to other lines are free. You would also have the freedom of not setting your schedule around the commuter rail timetable. It can be stressful staring at a clock wondering if you're going to be able to make the next commuter rail train or have to wait an hour or more.

While Lowell isn't NEARLY as dangerous as it's often reputed to be, I think Quincy feels like a safer place overall. Again, Lowell isn't bad. But to me, Quincy feels a little safer. It's not something I can substantiate or quantify. Really more of a feeling, but that's my take on Quincy v. Lowell.

[pennyone]

"But to me, Quincy feels a little safer. It's not something I can substantiate or quantify. Really more of a feeling"...

Doesn't the CQ crime statistics ranking substantiate your "feeling" (as much as rankings can be meaningful?)? It does literally measure four different types of crimes by counting them, and there is a big difference between Lowell and Quincy. Looking at the demographics does indicate Quincy to be less "diverse" than Lowell, for good and bad. It is dominated by two groups...whites and Asians (mostly Chinese, not Southeast Asians), while Lowell is more of a "melting pot" of many groups.

I have never been to Lowell, so I cannot attest to the relative attractiveness of residential homes in each city. The downtown of Quincy does need a lot of work, but 1.6 billion dollar of private investment is heading its way in the next 7 years, with the first set of buildings slated to come down this month. Adams Green is also starting this spring, and once it's done, the whole Peace House (where the Adams lived) historical site and the city square will be gorgeous. Quincy is very hard to beat in terms of history, which is what I love most about the city. I do think Lowell is more self-contained culturally because it is not so close to Boston; but being close to Boston has its own benefits too, culturally, economically and politically. .

[homelesspat]

Quincy and Lowell aren't comparable demographically.

Quincy and Lawrence are more comparable for that.

However, Lowell has gotten SO much better the last 15 years and crime is really dropping. Basically, in Lowell, the gangs only kill each other.

[CaseyB]

I don't think there is any question that Quincy is much safer than Lowell. It depends what is a priority. cheaper rent, shorter commute?

[Martha Anne]

I have only been to Lowell once. Quincy many times. If you value inexpensive and fast access to the entire Boston/Cambridge scene, Quincy is a no-brainer. Also, I would think that because it is near the water, snow fall is less and temperatures are a bit more moderate, winter and summer alike.

[pennyone]

Agree with Casey.

"Quincy and Lawrence are more comparable for that. "..

Yes, Quincy is roughly 75% White and 20% Asian, while Lawrence is 76% Hispanic and 20% White. So there are two major groups in each city demographically.

Quincy would be more expensive for both homeowners and renters overall than both Lowell and Lawrence. But I am sure cheap rentals can be found in all three, it is just a matter of priority for the OP.